Compassion, Can you Teach it?

I’ve been asked “can you teach compassion?” and the answer is YES, but…. depending on how you think.

For some, compassion comes from deep inside. knowing that people are valuable. Period. This is understanding from an intrinsic point of view.

On the other hand, you may know that it’s important to be compassionate, and like our friend Sheldon Cooper, from The Big Bang Theory, when someone needs comfort, you’re supposed to offer a hot beverage. This is compassion from an extrinsic perspective.

And lastly, you may also know that behaving a certain way is just the “right thing to do”, and while you may not feel it in your heart, you know that there are certain conventions you must comply with, and you do it. This is compassion from a systemic viewpoint.

Whether being compassionate comes naturally to you, and you feel it in your heart, or you know you’re not very good at this, but sincerely work hard at it; that’s cognitive awareness training at it’s best!

If you’d like to learn more about teaching compassion in your workplace, let’s chat!